this shop again. Our staff’s
been traumatized. One has resigned. Orders have been canceled. The Carruthers
party is threatening to sue us. I just came from seeing our lawyer. She’s not
certain if our insurance covers us. So who do I sue?”
Wyatt passed her a tissue. “I
don’t know, ma’am.”
Chan touched her eyes, collecting
herself. “On the phone you said you needed more information about the security
system?”
“Just tell me about it.”
“We forbid shoppers to come in
and photograph our gowns. The cameras remind them we’re serious.”
“Protection of your designs?”
“Exactly. Take a picture, then
have a friend do a cheap knock off, almost an infringement.”
“Can you show me the control and
monitor?”
Chan took him to a rear room,
explaining there were four cameras, including one with a fish-eye lens for the
rear entrance.
Wyatt monitored all perspectives
from the device that had a small TV-like monitor and a recorder that resembled
a high-tech VCR player.
“And it’s run on a slow speed
seventy-two-hour loop? That is, all four cameras are recording nonstop?”
Chan nodded.
Wyatt opened his file folder and
the report from Crime Scene. The system was operated by Digicamwatch. The
company attributed the failure to suspected grit on the recording heads, but
was doing further checks. Wyatt looked at the report and punched the number of
Digicamwatch’s contact person into his cell phone.
“DCW, Tony Dekka.”
The guy sounded as if he were
twelve. “Tony, Ben Wyatt with the SFPD. You’re the contact for the system at
the bridal shop down at Union Square?”
“Yes, sir. Glad you called.”
Wyatt wedged his phone between
his ear and shoulder, pulling the system from the wall. “Why’s that, Tony?”
“We did more checks at our end,
sir, and just got some new information.”
Wyatt studied the web of wires
and cables running from the security system’s controls.
“Sir?”
“Go ahead.”
“Seems there was a power burp in
that area and we figure that might have been the cause. A few other clients in
that area were hit too.”
Wyatt visually lined up every
cable and wire to account for it. Camera one, Camera two, Camera three, four,
direct power cord, alarm…
“But, Tony, isn’t there
auxiliary? Every system’s got that because first thing bad guys do is cut
power.”
“Yes. Are you near the system
now, sir?”
“Yes.”
Wyatt tapped his finger to a
small power pack on the rear.
“At the rear is an auxiliary
power source. It’s got tiny cadmium batteries, takes over if the direct source
fails.”
“Which you are telling me
happened, Tony? So why did the system record no activity in the shop when
clearly there was?”
“Sir, unfortunately when the
power burped, there was a two-second delay, before the auxiliary took over.”
“I know.” This was not rocket
science, Wyatt thought as he continued his inventory of all the wiring.
“Well it appears that …”
“What is it, Tony?”
“Legal just told us we’re
supposed to refer this stuff to them.”
“Tony, do you want to face an
obstruction of justice charge?”
A long heavy silence passed; then
Tony dropped his voice to a whisper. “I told them you’re going to find out.
Sir, we think the auxiliary failed to kick on.”
Wyatt flipped to Crime Scene’s
report. They had already checked the auxiliary system and found it functioning.
“That could be a problem,” Wyatt
said just as he found one line that disturbed him and not a word about it in
the report. It ran from the security system to the shop’s telephone box.
“Tell me something, Tony, is this
particular system monitored by your office by computer through the phone line?”
“Oh, sure. All of our systems
are,” he said. “But they’re one hundred per cent secure. No one from the
outside can penetrate them.”
Wyatt’s jaw muscles tightened.
“You got today’s Chronicle handy, the front page, Tony?”
He heard him
been traumatized. One has resigned. Orders have been canceled. The Carruthers
party is threatening to sue us. I just came from seeing our lawyer. She’s not
certain if our insurance covers us. So who do I sue?”
Wyatt passed her a tissue. “I
don’t know, ma’am.”
Chan touched her eyes, collecting
herself. “On the phone you said you needed more information about the security
system?”
“Just tell me about it.”
“We forbid shoppers to come in
and photograph our gowns. The cameras remind them we’re serious.”
“Protection of your designs?”
“Exactly. Take a picture, then
have a friend do a cheap knock off, almost an infringement.”
“Can you show me the control and
monitor?”
Chan took him to a rear room,
explaining there were four cameras, including one with a fish-eye lens for the
rear entrance.
Wyatt monitored all perspectives
from the device that had a small TV-like monitor and a recorder that resembled
a high-tech VCR player.
“And it’s run on a slow speed
seventy-two-hour loop? That is, all four cameras are recording nonstop?”
Chan nodded.
Wyatt opened his file folder and
the report from Crime Scene. The system was operated by Digicamwatch. The
company attributed the failure to suspected grit on the recording heads, but
was doing further checks. Wyatt looked at the report and punched the number of
Digicamwatch’s contact person into his cell phone.
“DCW, Tony Dekka.”
The guy sounded as if he were
twelve. “Tony, Ben Wyatt with the SFPD. You’re the contact for the system at
the bridal shop down at Union Square?”
“Yes, sir. Glad you called.”
Wyatt wedged his phone between
his ear and shoulder, pulling the system from the wall. “Why’s that, Tony?”
“We did more checks at our end,
sir, and just got some new information.”
Wyatt studied the web of wires
and cables running from the security system’s controls.
“Sir?”
“Go ahead.”
“Seems there was a power burp in
that area and we figure that might have been the cause. A few other clients in
that area were hit too.”
Wyatt visually lined up every
cable and wire to account for it. Camera one, Camera two, Camera three, four,
direct power cord, alarm…
“But, Tony, isn’t there
auxiliary? Every system’s got that because first thing bad guys do is cut
power.”
“Yes. Are you near the system
now, sir?”
“Yes.”
Wyatt tapped his finger to a
small power pack on the rear.
“At the rear is an auxiliary
power source. It’s got tiny cadmium batteries, takes over if the direct source
fails.”
“Which you are telling me
happened, Tony? So why did the system record no activity in the shop when
clearly there was?”
“Sir, unfortunately when the
power burped, there was a two-second delay, before the auxiliary took over.”
“I know.” This was not rocket
science, Wyatt thought as he continued his inventory of all the wiring.
“Well it appears that …”
“What is it, Tony?”
“Legal just told us we’re
supposed to refer this stuff to them.”
“Tony, do you want to face an
obstruction of justice charge?”
A long heavy silence passed; then
Tony dropped his voice to a whisper. “I told them you’re going to find out.
Sir, we think the auxiliary failed to kick on.”
Wyatt flipped to Crime Scene’s
report. They had already checked the auxiliary system and found it functioning.
“That could be a problem,” Wyatt
said just as he found one line that disturbed him and not a word about it in
the report. It ran from the security system to the shop’s telephone box.
“Tell me something, Tony, is this
particular system monitored by your office by computer through the phone line?”
“Oh, sure. All of our systems
are,” he said. “But they’re one hundred per cent secure. No one from the
outside can penetrate them.”
Wyatt’s jaw muscles tightened.
“You got today’s Chronicle handy, the front page, Tony?”
He heard him
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